Industrialized countries rely upon transportation systems such as over the road trucks, trains, airplanes, and boats for distribution and transportation of both large objects and balky commodities. It is important to the safety of the transportation vehicle, whether it be a truck, car, boat, or train, and to the safety of the cargo that is transported, that the cargo is stabilized while being transported. If the cargo shifts or moves during transport, the cargo can be damaged, ejected, or lost, in addition, the inside of the cargo container can also be damaged. Further, if the cargo is not sufficiently stabilized to avoid shifting, the cargo can potentially unbalance the vehicle and create a dangerous situation. For example, if a vehicle is loaded so that the cargo is distributed evenly in the cargo area of the vehicle and the cargo shifts its location dramatically while the vehicle is traveling, for instance during the negotiation of a curve on the road, the shifting cargo can potentially upset the vehicles center of gravity to such an extent to possibly cause the driver of the vehicle to lose control of the vehicle.
To avoid cargo shifting, cargos are packed as carefully as possible in the container to eliminate any open spaces within the container to minimize the possibility of a cargo shifting. In many circumstances, however, depending upon the specific type of cargo or the nature and size or bulk of the cargo, necessarily result in open spaces between the cargo items within the cargo container, especially in the case of the cargo container being partially filled with cargo which is a quite common occurrence. This is especially true where the cargo is heavy, or of such a unique shape such as a piece of cargo that is very long and narrow, that the cargo container may be at best a compromise to contain the cargo and retain it securely, thus of necessity requiring an open (not having sidewalls or a roof) transportation platform or medium such as a flat bed truck, or flat bed rail car, or flat bed trailer. In order to secure the open regions of the cargo container, it is desirable to provide some sort of restraint device between the cargo and the walls of the cargo bed. These types of cargo retention devices need to be constructed to withstand the shifting forces typically encountered during transport of the cargo. Likewise, they must also be relatively lightweight and preferably capable of adapting any number of size differences that exist between the various cargo containers and cargo shapes. It is also desired that the cargo retention device is easily portable and movable and readily securable/unsecurable within the cargo container space thus allowing the cargo retention device to be easily installed or removed from the cargo containing area.
Focusing specifically on light duty trucks and/or trailers and their respective cargo containing areas the aforementioned problem has been well recognized in the proper art. Furthermore, in retaining cargo or the item by utilizing a flexible strap (with the strap usually having flexibility parallel to its lengthwise axis and reduced flexibility transverse to its lengthwise axis) wherein the strap forms an attachment between the transporting medium and the cargo or item to help prevent the undesirable movement of the cargo or item. As the strap usually has two open or free ends, there is of necessity a strap retainer device required that is adapted to attach to one of the open ends, wherein the other strap open end is substantially selectively fixedly adjustable along the lengthwise axis of the strap or the strap can be tensioned or “cinched” around the cargo or item by manually applying a force along the strap lengthwise axis away from the cargo or item. Thus, the focus of the prior art review is on the strap retainer device, specifically its attachment to the strap and structure to selectively fixedly retain the strap along the lengthwise axis of the strap.
Starting with U.S. Design Pat. No. 356,658 to Bernart and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,985 also to Bernart disclosed is a seat belt splitter plate (specifically referring to FIGS. 2 and 6 for the design patent and FIGS. 1 and 2 for the utility patent) that is basically a strap slot with a removal slot positioned at about ⅓ of the lateral distance through the slot. However, the strap, if bunched up in the corner of the slot, could slip out with force in one direction as the removal slot does not require a tortuous path for the strap to exit the plate, such that a tortuous path would at least require an additional ninety (90) degree bend in an opposing direction for the strap to exit the plate, thus helping to prevent the strap exiting the plate if the strap is bunched up in one corner of the slot with force in one direction, meaning in the direction of the removal slot. Thus in Bernart '985 in referring to FIG. 2, it appears that tension of the strap away from the plate is required to prevent removal of the strap from the plate. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,212,862 to Hirsh disclosed is a buckle, again like Bernart for the slot removal access not having a tortuous path, except that the single direction removal slot is positioned closer to one end of the long lateral slot, see FIG. 9 in particular. Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,351 to Fricko disclosed is a comfort clip for a vehicle shoulder belt wherein the clip is retained on the belt at a selected lengthwise position on the belt to prevent the shoulder belt retractor from excessively tensioning the shoulder belt across the user's upper torso. The clip on Fricko is secured to the belt by having a slot configuration similar to Bernart and Hirsh, wherein Fricko is designed to strictly hold the clip at a particular position along the belt length, reference in particular FIG. 4.
Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,140,164 to Moffatt disclosed is a hook coupling that has two open slots that are interconnected forming a somewhat “S” shape for clothing apparel use on bra straps and the like. Moffatt has the difference of sliding the strap into place for each open slot, wherein one slot has an angled non tortuous passage at a lateral midpoint resulting in more retention of the strap and the other slot has a restricted open end facilitating quick and easy installation and removal of the strap. Further, continuing in U.S. Design Pat. No. 350,712 to D'Ambrosio et al., disclosed is a clasp with a conventional slot at one end and an open slot in an opposing end that is slightly offset and restricted in width. Finally, in U.S. Design Pat. No. 285,383 to Anthony, disclosed is a seatbelt “T” bar bracket that includes a conventional closed slot, and two open slots, wherein the access to the outer periphery requires the seatbelt strap to make a single right angle bend near one end of the open slot.
Notably, in Bernart, Hirsh, Fricko, Moffatt, D'Ambrosio et al., and Anthony the installation/removal slot transition to the long lateral slot has minimal bends, having a non tortuous path so as to not damage the strap and provide for easy and smooth installation and removal of the strap from the long lateral slot, however, with the compromise being that the strap is only moderately retained in the slot with the strap being easily removed from the slot with the addition of force on the strap being in only one direction different from the slot lengthwise axis or force on the strap transverse to the slot lengthwise axis against the slot side opposite of the removal slot.
Moving to a more conventional strap retainer in U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,077B2 to Doty, disclosed is an adjustable strap, being similar to a conventional motorcycle tie down strap except for a dual attachment system at each end of the strap, having what is known as a “soft hook” and a closed biased member (similar to a mountaineering carabiner) “S” type hook, both of which can provide a non inadvertently detachable attachment system when the tension of the strap is momentarily removed, (although FIG. 7 does not teach a secure way to attach the “soft hook” using a conventional open ended “S” hook). Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,837 to Rekuc, disclosed is a strap attachment buckle having a closed end slot in combination with a open slot that has access from the open slot to the outer periphery portion of the buckle, however, with the addition of a selectably operable gate that is biased to close the open slot, somewhat again like a mountaineering carabiner, i.e. positively retaining a strap in the open slot, except for a remote mechanical linkage to open and close the gate.
Further, in looking at another type of strap or “ribbon” (as more likely defined in the garment industry) retainer in U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,051 To Bartolini, disclosed is a slider for ribbons used for articles of clothing wherein straps (called ribbons) are required for a bra or girdle for instance with Bartolini facilitating a more automated system of ultrasonically welding the ribbon to one end of the slider and using the opposing end of the slider for the strap adjustment. Thus, Bartolini essentially teaches a slot that is merely narrowed at one end, wherein the only resistance to the strap exiting the retainer is the thickness of the strap and/or the flexibility of the retainer by not having a tortuous removal path for the strap from the retainer. Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,434 to Ellwanger, disclosed is a quick connect retaining leash device that has a plurality of open slots that have somewhat restricted openings to the device outer periphery from the open slot for serpentine routing of the leash, wherein an opposing end of the device is adapted to attach to a conventional car seatbelt receptacle, wherein the strap retention in the leash device would be difficult without the serpentine routing of the leash. Also, in looking at U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,270 to Van Den Broek et al., disclosed is a fastening apparatus for anchoring the ends of flexible tape for use in package bundling, wherein the fastening apparatus allows for tensioning and securing the two free ends of the tape without the need for a special tool. Van Den Broek et al. requires the use of two sandwiching elements that frictionally clamp the tape when tension is applied between the tape ends to prevent the tape from sliding out of the slot, as in Bartolini and Ellwanger the slot end only has a width restriction which alone would not be sufficient to substantially retain the strap in the slot.
What is needed is a strap retainer device that is simple and effective in design by not having any moving parts to wear or need adjustment or replacement and to be able to retain the strap in the strap retainer device under a number of conditions. Firstly, allowing for not having to substantially retain the strap at a selectable lengthwise position on the strap, secondly, by helping to allow the strap and strap retainer device to “cinch” up on the cargo and/or item that the strap loops around when tensile force is applied to the strap in an axis substantially parallel to the lengthwise axis of the strap i.e. so that the strap tends to tighten up around the cargo and/or item thereby helping to secure the cargo and/or item when the aforementioned tensile force is applied. Thirdly, that the strap will remain substantially retained in the strap retainer device when the strap is under lengthwise tension (as previously mentioned), and also when the strap is under no lengthwise tension, i.e. even slackened and/or in combination with a force on the strap that is transverse to the strap lengthwise axis and/or in combination with a force on the strap at any angle when the strap is slackened, in other words the strap will remain substantially retained in the strap retainer device under any set or combination of strap conditions being, tight, slackened, side force, and the like, thus helping to prevent the strap from inadvertently dislodging from the strap retainer device that would result in the cargo or item not being held in the desired location causing damage or loss of the cargo or item and helping to prevent a hazardous situation for the cargo vehicle or other vehicles on the road. This is as opposed to most of the previously described prior art strap or ribbon retainers that require tension of the strap or ribbon away from the retainer to keep the strap or ribbon properly positioned within the retainer, i.e. keeping the strap or ribbon from undesirably dislodging from the retainer.